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Water leakage below door openings has been a source of concern for the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) and other state regulators for a number of years.

The Building Code of Australia’s adoption of ‘AS4654 Waterproofing membranes for external above-ground use – Part 1 Materials and Part 2 Design and installation’ means that building contractors working throughout Australia are provided with clear and consistent detailing requirements to eliminate water leakage in construction. This standard came into effect in Queensland back in May, 2013.

Tradespeople working in Queensland are used to the heat, although there are a few more things they need to be aware of while on worksites as summer temperatures start to rise.

High temperatures (above 30 degrees Celsius) and windy conditions can affect the application and performance of various building materials, such as concrete, primer, rendered coating, waterproofing membrane, adhesive, and grout.

Building products and systems used in building work need to comply with the National Construction Code and related Australian Standards.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) has recently detected issues with the threaded rod, a material commonly used in the residential sector for providing tie-down to roof and wall frames particularly in high wind and cyclonic wind speed regions.

A recent audit of north Queensland building sites by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) revealed widespread use of non-compliant practices in relation to restraints on the tops of internal partition walls.

The QBCC identified a number of builders restraining the tops of internal timber walls by firing framing nails into metal ceiling battens installed onto the underside of roof truss bottom chords.